AquAdvantage salmon

AquAdvantage salmon is a genetically engineered (GE) salmon produced by AquaBounty Technologies. AquAdvantage salmon grow to market size in 16 to 18 months instead of the usual 30 required for Atlantic salmon. In early September 2010, the FDA announced findings that the GE salmon is safe to eat. If approved, the fish will be the first genetically engineered animal commercially sold as food in the United States. AquAdvantage salmon are identified as "Triploid hemizygous, all-female Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) bearing a single copy of the α-form of the opAFP-GHc2 rDNA construct at the α-locus in the EO-1α lineage." In other words, the salmon will each have three complete sets of chromosomes instead of two, and all of the fish will be females.

Creation of All-Female Triploid Population
The process of creating an all-female triploid population of GE salmon begins with female GE salmon and irradiated sperm of Arctic char, another fish species. The process used to create an all-female population is known as gynogenesis, which is described as follows: "Briefly, irradiated sperm are introduced to eggs, followed by a pressure treatment to result in diploid “twin” offspring. In this case, ABT uses Arctic char milt that has been irradiated so that no Arctic char DNA is present in the gynogen population. In the event that the milt irradiation was not successful, the offspring would be an Arctic char / Atlantic salmon hybrid. These fish are readily identifiable by their differential markings and phenotypic appearance. As such, these hybrid fish can be easily removed without extensive testing."

The remaining all-female population are subjected to "masculinization" using 17-methyltestosterone. The females become "neomales" (genetically female fish that produce milt (sperm) instead of viable eggs). Upon sexual maturity, the neomales are bred with non-GE Atlantic salmon females. Then, fertilized eggs are "subjected to pressure shock treatment," turning them into triploids with two sets of chromosomes from the non-GE female salmon and one set of chromosomes from the neomale GE salmon. These fish, the female triploids, will be commercialized as AquAdvantage salmon. Triploid salmon are incapable of reproduction.

Regulation and Approval Process
The U.S. government will regulate the recombinant DNA in the salmon as a New Animal Drug (NAD). Thus, it falls under the regulatory authority of the FDA. A few weeks after issuing its initial finding that the GE salmon is safe to eat, the FDA held two public meetings on the issue September 19-21, 2010. The first, a meeting of the FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (VMAC) took place September 19-20, addressing the scientific issues associated with the approval of GE salmon. The second, a public hearing in which the FDA presented the legal principles for food labeling and offered the public an opportunity to comment, took place on September 21, 2010. Prior to the meetings, the FDA released a number of documents, including a briefing packet for the VMAC meeting describing the science used to determine the GE salmon's safety.

The regulatory and approval process for the AquAdvantage salmon has been criticized for being insufficiently transparent, for failing to provide enough time for public comment, for failing to appoint experts with appropriate and sufficient expertise to the VMAC committee, and for accepting "sloppy" and "misleading" science as the basis for the FDA's initial decision that the GE salmon is safe. For more information, see the article on the AquAdvantage Salmon FDA Approval Process.

Safety Testing of AquAdvantage Salmon
The FDA released its assessment of AquaBounty's safety testing of AquAdvantage salmon in a 180 page document in September 2010. The science used to justify the GE salmon's safety was called "sloppy" and "misleading" by critics (and even noted as such by the FDA in several cases in its assessment). For more information, see the article on Concerns About Science Justifying the Safety of AquAdvantage Salmon.

Environmental Assessment
Prior to FDA approval, the AquAdvantage was required to undergo an Environmental Assessment (EA). One of the main concerns addressed in the assessment is the potential for the GE salmon to escape into the wild, particularly if it would be able to survive there and compete with wild populations and/or interbreed with wild populations. For more information, see the article on the AquAdvantage Salmon Environmental Assessment.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Biotechnology
 * Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee
 * AquAdvantage Salmon Environmental Assessment
 * AquAdvantage Salmon FDA Approval Process
 * Concerns About Science Justifying the Safety of AquAdvantage Salmon

External resources

 * Briefing Packet for AquAdvantage Salmon Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (PDF - 2506KB), U.S. FDA, September 20, 2010.
 * Background Document: The VMAC Meeting on Science-Based Issues Associated with AquAdvantage Salmon, U.S. FDA.
 * Environmental Assessment for AquAdvantage Salmon (Aqua Bounty Technologies, Inc.) (PDF - 1095KB), U.S. FDA.
 * Consumers Union’s Senior Scientist to Appear at Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting on Genetically Engineered Salmon, September 19-20: Data Suggests Increased Allergy Risk; FDA Needs Much More Data Before Approval, Consumers' Union, September 17, 2010.
 * Letter from Consumers Union to FDA About Concerns On VMAC Committee Members for GE Salmon Hearing, Consumers' Union, September 15, 2010.
 * Peter Bridson, Re: FDA Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee (VMAC) hearing September 19-20, 2010. AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon, Seafood Watch Program, Center for the Future of the Oceans, Monterey Bay Aquarium, September 14, 2010.
 * "FDA Isn’t Fishing for Feedback on GE Salmon", Food and Water Watch, September 7, 2010.
 * FDA Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia (RFE), U.S. FDA.

External articles
2011:
 * Steven Salzberg, "They engineered a better salmon, so why is Congress blocking it?," Forbes, July 4, 2011.
 * "U.S. Congress votes to block GM salmon," CBC News, June 22, 2011.
 * Conan Milner, "Swimming Upstream: Genetically modified Salmon's Struggle for Approval," The Epoch Times, June 21, 2011.
 * Tom Philpott, "GMO Salmon's Unlikely Enemy: the GOP," Mother Jones, June 20, 2011.
 * American Council on Science and Health, "Genetically-modified salmon has upstream swim in House," June 17, 2011.
 * Paul Voosen, "House Moves to Ban Modified Salmon," New York Times, June 16, 2011.
 * "No 'Frankensalmon' in America: Congress bans FDA from approving genetically modified fish," Daily Mail, June 16, 2011.

2010:
 * Susan Heavey, Biotech Salmon Leaves Many Questions, Planet Ark World Environmental News, September 22, 2010.
 * Andrew Zajac, No agreement imminent on salmon labeling, Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2010.
 * Marion Nestle, The GM Salmon Saga Continues, FoodPolitics.com, September 21, 2010.
 * Mary Clare Jalonick, Modified salmon needs more tests, FDA panel says, SFGate.com, September 21, 2010.
 * Paul Voosen, Panel Advises More Aggressive FDA Analysis of Engineered Salmon, New York Times, September 21, 2010.
 * Bryan Walsh, Food: Why the Debate Over GM Salmon Misses the Point, Time, September 21, 2010
 * Lyndsey Layton, Fears over modified salmon voiced, Washington Post, September 21, 2010.
 * Jill Richardson, Why is the FDA About to Rubber Stamp GE Salmon?, Grist, September 20, 2010.
 * Andrew Pollack, Panel Leans in Favor of Engineered Salmon, New York Times, September 20, 2010.
 * Meredith Melnick, 'Frankenfish' May Soon Be Spawning: Is Genetically Modified Salmon Safe?, Time, September 19, 2010.
 * Jill Richardson, "The Creepy Science Behind Genetically Engineered "Frankenfish" About to Enter Our Food Supply Unlabeled", AlterNet, September 13, 2010.
 * "Will FDA Approve Genetically Modified Salmon?", All Things Considered, NPR, September 7, 2010.
 * Dan Kennedy, "Who dares question the industrial food system over GM salmon?", The Guardian, September 7, 2010.
 * Andrew Pollack, "Modified Salmon Is Safe, F.D.A. Says", New York Times, September 3, 2010.
 * FrankenFish: How Genetically Engineered Salmon Could Hurt Our Health and Environment, Food and Water Watch, September 2010.